Comments

if he likes it, why do you feel the need to convince him otherwise? the sentra is a good small car. how old is your brother? also, what is his budget with regards to a car purchase? sometimes, the nicer cars just aren't in your price range. there's no point in stretching yourself thin for no reason. the sentra will get your brother from point A to point B just like the mazda 3...

The only problem with a Sentra is the lack of legroom in the back seat. $9000 sounds a bit high for a 2002, however it is difficult to price without more details.Sentra will deliver better mpg, Mazda 3 will deliver better handling.Other than personal preference, what is your argument for or against each vehicle?

the sentra is kinda small in the back seat, but most compact cars are like this - the mazda 3 doesnt have THAT much more room, in my opinion. i own a sentra, and a friend of mine has a mazda 3. both great cars!

either way, i think a lot of it will have to do on how much your bro wants to spend, and what you can negotiate for prices on the two cars.

The wife has a '05 3s and it's way better than the '03 Sentra I traded this past June. No comparison in my opinion. Contrary to what others say, the Sentra's mileage was pretty lousy and the only things good about it were the standard non-ABS brakes and the Road Trip Package sound system. Besides those 2 things, the car was as bland as can be. The 3 is a much better vehicle hands down.Good luck!

Just read the Mazda 3 vs Honda Civic review if they need any convincing. "The 3 did things at the track that would have impressed us in a car that cost $10,000 more." $15,000 sounds a little high for the 2004 Mazda 3 though unless it's fully loaded. The base Mazda 3 S is pretty nice by itself if you don't need features like leather seats, moonroof etc. I remember I was checking out a new 2005 Mazda 3 I touring a year ago and it was 15,000 out the door.

"The performance models of the Sentra should be compared to the higher price Mazda 3 models."

Hmmmm, well considering that for 2007, there is NO SE-R or Spec V, then you're talking about the '06 models.

From a pure performance standpoint, the SE-R and Spec V are probably a better deal (particularly if you can find a dealer trying to blow out his remaining '06 models with the '07 models hitting the lots).

But, according to the Edmunds review of the '06 Sentra:

"It's still one of the fastest economy cars on the market in SE-R, but it's outclassed by its peers in most other areas. The Sentra's biggest drawback is its cramped cabin. It's hard to find a comfortable driving position and legroom is almost nonexistent in the backseat. A decent features list and the solid performance of the SE-R models still make the Nissan Sentra a viable choice, but most small-car buyers would be better served by the Civic or Mazda 3".

Hmmmm, well considering that for 2007, there is NO SE-R or Spec V, then you're talking about the '06 models. :sick:

No rorr, I'm referring to the 2007 SE-R and SE-R Spec V models. Not 2006. Not 2008.They will be officially released at the end of this month at the LA Auto Show.

quote-All-new for 2007, the Nissan Sentra will once again have SE-R high performance models; both SE-R and SE-R Spec V. As a pioneer model in the field of sport compact cars, the 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R offers more power, performance and technology to this highly acclaimed model. The SE-R Spec V model will be powered by a specifically designed high-output version of Nissan&#146;s 2.5-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine. Additional information on the SE-R with be announced at the LA Auto Show on November 29th. -end

If the Spec V is priced near the $22,835 base price of the MazdaSpeed 3, then that would be the most relevant comparison.IMO, all trim levels of the Sentra are overpriced, and if the Spec V does approch $23,000....it is going to be found lacking compared to the M'Speed 3.

agreed. it seems like it should be able to keep up with the gti, given its amount of torque, and it may even leave the si behind because of that same reason, although i think the civic will still out handle both vehicles.

sometimes i feel the mazda speed 3 is overrated just because people like you feel like butting the car into conversations that it was not involved in just of for the sake of doing so. :mad: (i.e. how i was comparing the se-r to the gti and si. And the fact that it came out 3rd and won the most innovative powertrain in the same comparo you are speaking of says volumes about the civic, especially when the 2 cars that bested it were turbo's with large displacement engines.)

"sometimes i feel the mazda speed 3 is overrated just because people like you feel like butting the car into conversations that it was not involved in just of for the sake of doing so."

.....and I can recall a certain someone butting the Civic Si into a conversation which was specifically regarding comparisons between the base Mazda3 and the regular Civic.

BTW - since this entire THREAD is titled "Mazda3 vs. Nissan Sentra", why is there even discussions involving either the GTI or the Si? If the discussion has morphed over to the SE-R and SpecV, wouldn't bringing up the Speed3 be on topic considering the thread?

Well, the situation I remember was someone comparing a Mazda 3i vs. a Civic EX and they made a statement regarding their perception of the interior quality being better even on the most basic Mazda3 than the Civic. I thought it was very clear they were trying to compare the 'regular' Mazda3 (3i or 3s with their available interiors) to the 'regular' Civic (either LX or EX). And yet you felt the need to defend the Civic by bringing in the Si.

Well rorr i honestly dont remember because it was awhile back. And at least i was comparing the same 'car' in the sense that it was still a civic. (as oppossed to butting in a car that has absolutely nothing to do with the comparison at hand trim level or not.)

According to VW's site the GTI Mark V is 3,100lbs. Against the new spec's 3,080 lbs weight it looks like in this case the Spec has a slight edge weight wise. In the videos the guys driving say it handles like a dream. Maybe I'll test drive one.